Nurkic set hard screens at the top of the key to get Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum open to drive the lane. In turn, Shumpert hit the deck.

“I know in the first quarter, Nurk was setting screens and he was saying Nurk was setting some bad screens, basically. He was hot about it. He was mad about it and I didn’t see the screens so I don’t really know, but from what I heard he thought Nurk was setting some dirty screens,” Lillard said.

Shumpert seemed to take exception to the hard screen on the court and that was only beginning.

The Kings shooting guard would not give specific details on what led to the chippiness between he and Nurkic, but he did say we could all review the game film to get a better look.

“Y’all got the TV, you all can watch it. Review the game tonight,” Shumpert said.

“Some stuff happened out there that we needed to have a conversation about,” Shumpert added.

Shumpert was hit with a technical foul at the 10:23 mark in the third quarter.

Then almost two minutes later in the game, Blazers head coach Terry Stotts was charged with a technical foul for arguing with the referees on a non-foul call when he felt that CJ McCollum got hit while going up for a lay-in.

Immediately following the game both Lillard and Coach Stotts were seen talking to Shumpert on the court.

The only comment Coach Stotts would make in his postgame interview about the combative play on the court, was this:

“I think everybody felt like it was a chippy game, no question.”

Shumpert was barking at Nurkic throughout the game and even when Shumpert was not in the game, he was yelling from the bench. Outside of the locker room after the game, the Blazers team security told Shumpert that Nurkic was still showering and he would not be able to come out of the locker room and speak to him at that moment.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Shumpert made his way back to his own locker room and was able to calm down before talking with the media.

“The game is over. I just wanted to have a conversation with the man. Nothing malicious, nothing crazy. I didn’t go over there and bombard the locker room. I’m sure everybody realizes we’re big enough to rush the locker room. We’re athletic enough to get in there. I didn’t go in there and bully into the locker room. I just wanted to have a conversation,” Shumpert said.

When Nurkic was asked about Shumpert he had this to say, “I’m not worried about him. He’s going into retirement soon. I just said what I said. I’m not worried about a guy who’s going into retirement soon.”

Shumpert claimed he sustained minor injuries to his hand and shoulder and was upset that he will not be able to play with his daughter.

Anyone who has followed Shumpert over his eight-year NBA career knows that he can be an emotional player who feeds off of other people's energy.

It was not just Nurkic’s screens that were getting Shumpert hyped on Monday night.

Shumpert admitted he fed off of Portland’s team security, which had spoken with the Kings guard as the game became tense.

“He was a little passionate and you become part of the game… I’ll take whatever energy you give me. I was having a tough time shooting the ball and you know, he talked to me enough I made the next three. That’s what we needed at the moment… After that we rolled,” Shumpert said.

Shumpert went 2-for-9 from the field. His only baskets were from three as he finished with six points.

Being a guard, Lillard said after the loss that he understands what Shumpert was going through, but he in no way feels Nurkic had any intention to be dirty.

“I think all of us guards feel that way, you know, bigs trying to give their guard an advantage, so they might lean into it sometimes, but I don’t think there was anything dirty there,” Lillard said.

Shumpert postgame just wanted to make sure we all knew this…

“Like I said, it’s for two men to have a conversation. It’s not for everybody to be a part of. Nobody to hype up or anything like that. It’s for two men to have a conversation that’s it,” Shumpert said.

The conversation -- to be continued…

Portland hosts Sacramento in the third and final meeting of the season on April 10th.

That’s a long time to wait. But that’s probably not too long to forgive and forget.

'Nurk and The Turk' haul Trail Blazers to an old-school win

'Nurk and The Turk' haul Trail Blazers to an old-school win

The Trail Blazers went old school Thursday night in Brooklyn against the Nets.

Portland went inside to its centers. Over and over and over.

And over again.

Remember when having a low-post center who could score was a big deal? Well, the Trail Blazers turned back the clock Thursday night.

Two Blazer centers combined for 45 points and 21 rebounds as Jusuf Nurkic made 10 of his 15 shots and grabbed 12 rebounds and Enes Kanter, born in Turkey and making his Portland debut, hit eight of his nine shots, scored 18 points and hauled in nine rebounds in just a little under 20 minutes.

The Blazers finished with 66 points in the paint.

“He basically played the way we expected him to play,” Portland Coach Terry Stotts said of Kanter. “I don’t know if you could have asked for a better first game from him.”

In a league dominated by three-point shooting, playing a power game with a big center is a real throwback. But high-percentage shots still have extreme value, particularly late in close games and when the shooters can also make free throws if fouled …

And, of course, on nights when the three-ball isn’t falling – like Thursday night for Portland.

“They are going to change the dynamic for a lot of teams in how they guard us,” CJ McCollum said. “They will be able to get a lot of attention, draw fouls and get us in the bonus a little bit earlier and present some different challenges for a lot of teams.”

The Trail Blazers made just 7 of 32 heaves from distance, with Damian Lillard and McCollum combining to hit only 3 of 15.

But Nurk and The Turk mopped up the mess, collecting a total of eight offensive rebounds.

“We’ve been good, offensively, all season. And I think now we’re improved. Nurk has always been good on the pick-and-roll and Enes is good on the block.”

“Defensively, it’s going to be a challenge.”

Portland is stockpiling centers. Zach Collins and Meyers Leonard – who have each had good moments this season – did not get into the game and newcomer Skal Labissiere is plopped down at the end of the bench, where he is expected to stay with the four others ahead of him.

“He was tremendous,” Nurkic said of Kanter. ”If he can continue to play that way, it will be huge.”

McCollum said of Kanter: “He’s a monster, man. I’ve seen his work ethic the last few summers, living in New York and living in the same building.”

Kanter, who had been with the tanking Knicks prior to making his escape, was excited.

“The last time I got a win, I think it was two months,” he said. “First, it was amazing, man. I didn’t know any sets. We just went over them yesterday and it was like smoke coming out of my ears. I didn’t know any of them.

“But when you play with guys like Dame and CJ, they make the game so easy for themselves and for everybody else around them. That’s what made it so special.

Best of Quotes: Former Trail Blazers Ed Davis and Allen Crabbe talk after loss in Brooklyn

Best of Quotes: Former Trail Blazers Ed Davis and Allen Crabbe talk after loss in Brooklyn

The start of the Trail Blazers road trip in Brooklyn brought some familiar faces to the court. Former Trail Blazers Ed Davis, Allen Crabbe and Shabazz Napier all now play for the Nets.

Crabbe logged the most minutes of the trio, who all came off the bench. AC finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting to go along with his four rebounds. Davis racked up a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds while Napier added seven points and ten assists.

It was quite the night for the trio despite the loss to Portland. Here is what the former Trail Blazers had to say after the game...

Top quotes of the night from Ed Davis:

On what he sees different in playing against former teammate Jake Layman:

“Nothing – he’s just getting the opportunity. Everyone over there knows he can play. He’s an aggressive scorer, so for him it’s the opportunity to get more consistent minutes.”

On moving forward this season with an emphasis on rebounding:

“It’s huge. You know, they definitely killed us on the boards tonight. (Enes) Kanter and (Rodney) Hood and the rest of the guys. To win games you definitely need to get stops and get defensive rebounds. Those are key points.”

Davis finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds against the Blazers on Thursday night.

Top quotes of the night from Allen Crabbe:

On where the Blazers hurt the Nets most tonight:

“Offensive rebounds. They got a lot of second chance points, they got a lot of offensive rebounds. It's hard to beat a team when you give up that many offensive rebounds and they get that many looks, second chances aside, you've got to them credit. They outworked us tonight."

On if it feels like he’s hot right now from three:

“I’m just playing basketball confident. Teammates find me within the flow of the offense and like I said, when I went out before I got injured, I felt like I was finding my rhythm, and I told myself to just come back with the same mindset – just stay aggressive out there and good things will happen.”

Crabbe has played just in just 32 games all season after missing nearly two months with the knee injury. In his last 10 games he is averaging 15 points.

Rapid Reaction: 3 Quick Takeaways from the Trail Blazers win over the Nets

Rapid Reaction: 3 Quick Takeaways from the Trail Blazers win over the Nets

BROOKLYN -- It was a game that was going to set the tone for the Portland Trail Blazers seven-game road trip, according to Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum and after shaking off the rust; Portland was able to take advantage of the young Nets team.

Both Jusuf Nurkic and Enes Kanter powered their way past Brooklyn to help the Blazers get a win to start the trip.

Enes Kanter checked in as a Trail Blazer for the first time at the 3:14 mark of the first quarter. He quickly showed Blazers fans what he will bring to this team on the offensive end as Kanter muscled his way past Ed Davis for two back-to-back lay-ins.

The last two days, Kanter has preached that he will bring the energy and against the Nets he showed that energy on both ends. This is a game that Kanter matched up well again with a small frontcourt.

In his first stint as a Trail Blazer, Kanter went 3-for-3 with six points and four rebounds in nine minutes of work. He made his first seven shots of the game.

2. Going up against Blazers East

Some of Rip City’s fan favorites are now with the Nets and you could tell the former players wanted to take it at their old team. Midway through the 1st quarter all three former Trail Blazer players were on the court – Allen Crabbe, Shabazz Napier, and Ed Davis.

Shabazz and Davis showed their strong connection early with back-to-back successful pick and roll action. That was the first sign of the element of wanting to play well against your former team. Crabbe was also going hard at CJ McCollum one-on-one early.

Blazers fans should know—Nets fans seem to love/enjoy what all three former Blazers bring to their Nets team.

The second quarter Napier showed off some “Shabazzle Dazzle” with a between the legs pass to Crabbe who calmly knocked down the long three-pointer and the crowd went nuts. Which by the way, I felt like I was at a college game with section 114 chanting and standing for most of the game. It really was like having a student section going crazy for their team.

Napier had a career-high in assists of a half with eight assists.

3. Strong third quarter despite foul trouble

It wasn’t until the second half started the Blazers looked like they were finding their groove on offense. Portland outscored Brooklyn 34-22 in the quarter and that was despite both CJ McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic picking up four fouls each by the eight-minute mark of the third.

The triple-double watch for Damian Lillard started midway through the third as well. With just minutes left in the 3rd period, Lillard had 10poimts, 8 rebounds and 6 assists.

It was one of those off nights for Lillard, but he found different ways to help his team secure a victory.

The Nets made a run at the Blazers to make it a one-point game 7:25 mark in the final quarter after DeMarre Carroll knocked down a jumper, but Portland was able to take care of business down the stretch.

And, this ended up not being the triple-double game for Lillard, but we all know he always wants the win more than the triple-double feat.

NEXT UP: Portland continues its seven-game trip with a stop in Philadelphia for the second game of the road slate. Tip-off between the Blazers and 76ers is set for 10:00am PT with pregame coverage beginning at 9:00am on NBC Sports Northwest.

Click here to download the new MyTeams App by NBC Sports! Receive comprehensive coverage of your Blazers and stream the games easily on your device.

Everything you need to know from pregame as the Trail Blazers prep for Brooklyn Nets

Everything you need to know from pregame as the Trail Blazers prep for Brooklyn Nets

BROOKLYN -- The Trail Blazers tip-off the second half of the 2018-19 NBA season with a brutal stretch in their schedule as Portland embarks on a seven-game, East Coast road trip starting with this matchup against the Brooklyn Nets.

Before tonight’s game tips off, the Trail Blazers players and coaching staff embraced and said their hellos to former teammates Ed Davis and Shabazz Napier while both teams were warming up.

Before the game Davis talked about what it was like getting to catch up with his former teammates, “I was there for three years. I developed a lot of lifelong relationships. It’s good to see old faces.”

Davis also had a message for Trail Blazers fans:

“We’ll be back in [Portland] at the end of next month. It’ll be good to be back. I appreciate all the support,” Davis said.

During his pregame media availability Blazers head coach Terry Stotts had plenty to say about what it was like to coach ‘Phys Ed’:

“He’s a pros, pro. He plays hard, he practices everyday, he’s a good teammate. He had good conversations with the players whether it was about basketball or about life. I think his teammates appreciated his willingness to do the dirty work and because of that he had the respect of his teammates and his coaches. I can’t say enough good things about Ed," Stotts said.

I'm Not Crying, You're Crying: Meyers Leonard makes dreams come true

I'm Not Crying, You're Crying: Meyers Leonard makes dreams come true

At only six years old, Leonard lost his father in a devastating bicycle accident and his mother’s debilitating back injury left the family with a home in foreclosure, little to no furniture and limited running water and electricity.

Leonard knows what it’s like to struggle, and now that he’s in a position to help those less fortunate, the Portland Trail Blazers center is giving back in a big way.

Each year, Blazer's Edge, the Trail Blazers SB Nation site, hosts a special night in March where they collect donations to send underprivileged fans to an NBA game.

This year, a request from a 5th grade teacher made an impression on Blazer's Edge editor Dave Deckard, who became worried they wouldn’t have enough tickets donated to fulfill the requests.

“Basketball turned them from three lonely, isolated boys at the beginning of the year to their own little team. I can only imagine how my class, but especially those three would feel if I got to tell them they could see the Blazers play for real. I think on that day they’d walk away from school with their heads up. If it’s possible my dream is to get a picture of those three boys sitting together at a real game. It’s something I’d treasure for a lifetime.”

The letter apparently struck a chord with Leonard as well, who took to Twitter to share he and his wife Elle would help make the request a reality.

Consider it done. My wife and I would love to help this class and their teacher come to a Trail Blazer game. Can’t wait to have them at the Moda Center cheering loud and proud. #RipCity#HAMMER 🙏🏼❤️🔨 https://t.co/JyxSap79Wu

@MeyersLeonard11 should make your day. This story should be on the cover of the @NBA site today. Yes, the action returns tonight but this is so much bigger than the game. I'm sure this happens many times a season from many players... these acts should be celebrated regularly. https://t.co/enuGa90aMy

Shootaround Notebook: An update on Damian Lillard's ankle

Shootaround Notebook: An update on Damian Lillard's ankle

BROOKLYN – The Trail Blazers announced Thursday morning that both Damian Lillard (left ankle) and Rodney Hood (gastrointestinal) are available for Thursday night’s game at Brooklyn after Lillard was initially listed as questionable and Hood was probable.

Lillard did not go through Thursday’s shootaround because of the sore ankle, but he’s ready to go for the 7:30pm ET tip-off in Brooklyn.

“It’s a little sore right now. In our live contact yesterday I rolled it pretty good. I sat out of shootaround and just kind of watched from the side. We did a lot of treatment yesterday… It felt better this morning. It’s still real sore, but I’m obviously playing tonight,” Lillard said.

“You gotta have your mind right now. I know for me a lot of times when I’m at my best is when I make my mind up about stuff and that’s getting rest, staying hydrated, just keeping my mind in the right place,” Lillard said.

Portland will play 16 of their final 25 remaining games on the road as the Blazers look to improve its 10-15 road record.

“For a long trip like this I know where I got to be mentally, whereas maybe in the middle of the trip I might be a little bit fatigued physically, a little warn out, ready to get home, I know where I need to be mentally, that’s a key,” Lillard said.

“For any trip, even if it’s a two-game trip it’s important how you start it off,” Lillard added.

CJ McCollum echoed those sentiments that Thursday’s game in Brooklyn is important to get the momentum going for the rest of the trip.

Thursday night not only marks the first game of the trip, but it will also be the debut of backup center Enes Kanter in a Blazers uniform.

Lillard has no doubt that Kanter can make a difference, “I’m expecting him to help us… He’s been on really good teams and he has been a starter on really good teams having a huge impact… I’m expecting him to help us a lot.”

This will also be a chance for Blazers fans to see a few of the former Trail Blazers who are now with the Nets. Allen Crabbe, Shabazz Napier, and Ed Davis are all coming off the bench for Brooklyn.

Lillard said he still keeps in touch with all three former teammates and they are always texting each other.

He is ready for some friendly trash talking when the game tips off.

“I already know there’s gonna be some words being said out there, so that’s kind of what I’m expecting. There’s always love between us, but I’m expecting, you know, Bazz to have some stuff to say, not negative, and I know Ed will be out there talking,” Lillard said with a smile.

Blazers Outsiders: What to expect on his long road trip

Blazers Outsiders: What to expect on his long road trip

The Blazers have the unenviable task of starting the "second half" of the season with a seven-game road trip. The trip will see them hit the road for two weeks, play games in two countries, and have tipoffs ranging from 1pm to 8pm. Needless to say, it's going to be an exhausting trip.

The trip starts on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets (30-29), then sees the Blazers take on the 76ers (37-21), Cavaliers (12-46), Celtics (37-21), Raptors (43-16), Hornets (27-30), and end with the Memphis Grizzlies (23-36).

It may not seem like it, but this is a pivotal trip for Portland. The Blazers need to finish the season 16-9 to hit the magical 50 win mark. If the Blazers hit 50 they will almost be a lock to be the four seed in the west.

Not only will 50 wins help them lock in the four seed, but it could even get them the three seed. Oklahoma City (37-20) needs to finish the season 13-12 to get to the 50 win mark. While that may sound easy for a team like the Thunder, consider that 19 of their final 25 games are against current playoff teams. One small slip up and the door is open for the Blazers. If that happens, the Blazers needs to jump right through.

A winning record on this road trip will be a great start.

4-3 should be the goal for the Blazers. Anything better is great, anything worse is a step in the wrong direction. There are some tough teams on this trip, but they are all winnable. 4-3 may be the goal, but 5-2 is certainly achievable.

The Nets, Cavs, Hornets, and Grizzlies should be wins, while the Celtics and Raptors look like losses on paper. The 76ers are a wildcard. Philly is a tough team, but without Joel Embiid in the lineup they are a lot easier to take down. The Trail Blazers can pick this up and go 5-2.

So much hinges on this trip. Finish above .500 and you continue to move closer to locking up a top seed. However, go below .500 and you could easily come back home as a sixth or seventh seed.

First things first, the Blazers need to set the tone with a win over the Nets on Thursday. Tipoff is set for 4:30pm, with coverage beginning at 3:30pm on NBC Sports Northwest.

Before Enes Kanter makes his debut with the Portland Trail Blazers on Thursday, the Turkish center took a trip back the Big Apple for an appearance on the The Daily Show with Trevor Noah.

Kanter, who was acquired by the Blazers following the NBA Trade Deadline, talked about his move to the “home of the hipsters,” why its important to use his platform as a sports figure and his fascination with Sponge Bob SquarePants and Jersey Shore.

"I'm very excited. The Portland Trail Blazers are about to make the playoffs. They're the four seed in the West. And they just beat the Golden State Warriors, so I'm very excited about that.”

On learning English via Sponge Bob SquarePants and Jersey Shore:

“Well, I was in college. I asked one of my friends, ‘where can I learn the street language?’ and he said, ‘there’s a show.’ And I said, ‘What show?’ and he said, ‘The Jersey Shore.’ So I just started watching Pauly D, Snooki and was like... this is so weird. First two months, I didn’t understand a word they were saying, and then after that I started understanding and then the next thing I was in a tanning bed."

On why he’s chosen to speak up about what’s going on in Turkey:

"I have a platform. I’m trying to use this platform for all of those citizens and all of those people who don’t have a voice. You see, people know my story, but there are thousands and thousands of people out there who have stories that are way worse than mine. Like the Hizmet movement’s people, led by the scholar Fethullah Gulen, but not just them. You know, the Kurds, the Alawites, and the secularist minority groups in Turkey. If you talk about the government or regime or President Erdogan, they think that you’re a terrorist. That’s why they have claimed that I am a terrorist. So I tweet that the only thing I terrorize is their basketball rims.”